Former WWE referee Mike Chioda claims his video-game royalty payments stopped and that his likeness was subsequently removed from a WWE game after he questioned John Laurinaitis about the situation.
Speaking on the It’s Not Our Fault podcast, Chioda recalled being featured in WWE video games during his lengthy tenure with the company and credited Jim Ross with ensuring he was initially compensated for the use of his likeness. “The boys used to bust my chops all the time. ‘Chioda, did you get the video?’ … I remember J.R. hooked me all up putting me in.”
Chioda recalled receiving one royalty check worth approximately $25,000, although he wasn’t certain which royalty period the payment covered. “I got a check. You know, it was like 25 grand…”
According to Chioda, those payments eventually stopped after Laurinaitis assumed greater responsibility within WWE.
Chioda said he questioned why wrestlers continued receiving video-game royalties while referees whose likenesses were also being used weren’t receiving similar payments. “The boys get royalties, like, you know, the refs can’t get them too still?”
Chioda said Laurinaitis told him he would look into the situation. However, Chioda claims that instead of receiving another royalty payment, his likeness disappeared from the following WWE video game. “Next thing you know, I got taken off the next year video game, right? And they put some guy in there from the office and they paid him like 2,500 bucks and they just used his likeness.”
Chioda did not identify the specific WWE video game or the office employee he claims replaced him, nor did he provide documentation establishing why the change was made.
As a result, Chioda’s belief that questioning the missing royalty payments led directly to his removal from the subsequent game remains his interpretation of the sequence of events rather than a confirmed account of WWE’s motivation.
